Hi, there!

Every so often, we here at the Green Beings Coffee Folk get a letter from concerned customers like you which reads something like this:

Hi, there!

I love your coffee, but why does it cost $75 a cup? When I go to my local Starbucks, it only costs $4 a cup. I would love to drink your coffee every morning on my way to work, but I can't afford to spend $375 a week on coffee. Help!

-- Sara from San Francisco

Although we understand your desire for low cost coffee, we here at the Green Beings Coffee Folk believe that unsustainable coffee is cheap coffee. Our coffee beans are handpicked in Colombia by workers who work flexible hours for ample pay and generous benefits. They have fun while they work--some of them even rock out in the fields while listening to tunes on their iPhones (which they can easily afford on the salary we pay). Each bean is then carefully inspected by a locally-trained barista to ensure that every drop of Green Beings Coffee Folk coffee meets our high standard of excellence, and any bean that isn't up to snuff is donated to a local soup kitchen. In order to keep our carbon footprint in check, all of our coffee is delivered to the United States by bicycle. It's a long journey, but our delivery folk are out there in the fresh air and getting lots of exercise. We could put our delivery folk up in hotels and motels along the way if they like, but many of them prefer to couch surf and barter. It's just another way that we here at Green Beings Coffee Folk like to reach out and connect with our community.

Our commitment to social responsibility doesn't end once our coffee makes it to the United States. To us, a living wage is the minimum wage. All of our employees are unionized and compensated so that they can support their families in a fashion consistent with middle class standards. Each and every piece of equipment and furnishing in the store--from the cups to the light bulbs--is hand crafted by ethical local artisans. It is also important to us that each store donates at least 10% of its earnings to local charities. It's our way of being a good neighbor.

All of this adds up, but we hope you can understand that so much more than delicious, rich coffee goes into every cup of joe sold by the Green Beings Coffee Folk. Far be it from us to suggest that places like Starbucks engage in slavery, but you do need to ask yourself: when you're not paying that much for your cup of coffee, what are you really paying for?

Thanks so much for your support, and keep drinking Green Beings Coffee Folk coffee!

Your neighbor,

Joe Hasmani

Director of Outreach and Good Vibes, the Green Beings Coffee Folk

Check out the next piece in this release, The Hunter/The Hunted by T.L. Knighton!